Atomic Habits: Building Lasting Changes

Atomic Habits

Definition

• Atomic Habits are small habits that, when practiced consistently, can lead to significant improvements in our lives.
• They are tiny changes that can be implemented in a short period of time, but can have a lasting impact.

Characteristics

• Small: Atomic Habits are small, achievable, and manageable.
• Incremental: They are incremental, meaning they can be built upon over time.
• Consistent: Consistency is key to making Atomic Habits stick.
• Compound: The effects of Atomic Habits compound over time, leading to significant improvements.

How to Create Atomic Habits

• Start small: Begin with a tiny habit that can be accomplished in less than 2 minutes.
• Make it obvious: Make the habit visible and obvious, so it's hard to ignore.
• Make it attractive: Make the habit appealing and attractive, so you want to do it.
• Make it easy: Make the habit easy to do, so you can't say no.
• Make it satisfying: Make the habit satisfying, so you feel good about doing it.

The Aggregation of Marginal Gains

• The concept of the aggregation of marginal gains suggests that small, incremental changes can add up to significant improvements over time.
• This concept is used by the British cycling team to improve their performance by making small improvements in nutrition, training, and equipment.

The 4 Laws of Behavior Change

• Make it obvious: To change behavior, you need to make the new behavior visible and obvious.
• Make it attractive: To change behavior, you need to make the new behavior appealing and attractive.
• Make it easy: To change behavior, you need to make the new behavior easy to do.
• Make it satisfying: To change behavior, you need to make the new behavior satisfying, so you feel good about doing it.

Common Mistakes

• Trying to change too much at once: Atomic Habits are about making small changes, not trying to overhaul your entire life at once.
• Focusing on motivation: Motivation is fleeting, but habits can be sustained over time.
• Not tracking progress: Tracking progress is key to making Atomic Habits stick.